Nation & World News
Deputies stand guard over casket of fallen officer’s daughter
Nov 13, 2015
- Server responds on Facebook to newlywed couple who refused to leave tip
- Singer Joey Feek enters hospice, spends last days 'at peace' with baby
- Gator chows down on python at Florida golf course
- Stranger helps homeless single dad turn his life around in heartwarming viral video
- Dozens of stores to remain closed on Thanksgiving night
Police officer Benjamin Deen was killed in the line of duty six months ago when he and a fellow officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
After his death, other members of the Hattiesburg Police Department promised to watch over his wife and two children.
Deen's daughter, Melah, 13, died Nov. 6 from complications of a virus.
True to their promise, members of the Lamar County Sheriff's Department continued to care for Melah even after her death.
Deputies stood by the teenager's casket at Temple Baptist Church, the same church where her father's funeral was held. The deputies kept watch, switching shifts and standing beside the girl throughout the night. The same had been done for her father during the time between his wake and funeral.
"It was the whole Sheriff's Department swapping out all night," Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel told The Clarion-Ledger. "It's an honor thing. It's something we felt like we had to do."
The Hattiesburg Police Department stood guard through the wake. When HPD officers left, Lamar County deputies took shifts through the night.
"It's a brotherhood," Rigel said. "We all worked with him, and we just feel like he's not here to watch over his family and that's what we're here for."
Melah's funeral was held Wednesday morning. She was buried next to her father.
Read more here.
More Stories
The Latest
